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A Recipe for Guilt Free Zoodles in Fresh Pesto Sauce

30/01/2018

This recipe for zoodles in fresh pesto sauce is a sort of twist to the traditional spaghetti dish – minus the guilt. Composed of zucchini, homemade pesto, and colorful cherry tomatoes, not only is it gluten free and low in carbs and calories, it is also a great source of minerals, vitamins, and fiber.

I planned to write this post so long ago, and for some reason kept pushing it aside. Still, I knew, when the time was right this recipe would receive its very own post on the blog. After all, ingenious in its simplicity, it just had to make it into my series of guilt-free recipes. I began sharing the series of recipes following the successful detox I had done {If you missed it – read about it here}, and the two first recipes I shared – the Ice Mocha and the Apple Crisp – were a HUGE success. Besides the fact that the detox did good to my body {and that I lost a bit of weight on the way} the entire process showed me that “clean food”, which is also very healthy and delicious, can be combined with your daily diet in creative, yet simple, ways.

“Zood…what?!”

“Zoodles” is actually a hybrid of the words zucchini and noodles. In other words, zoodles is a zucchini-based pasta, and it is simply the perfect dish for those moments in which you’re totally craving pasta but are not in the mood for the carbs, or when you’re trying to incorporate more veggies in your diet and you’ve had it with salads.

The zoodles, long zucchini noodles, can be made with different kitchen tools – from a simple julienne peeler to sophisticated spiralizers. To start, I recommend the cheaper, smaller and more compact option – the julienne peeler – get yourself one in any supermarket or home appliance stores… If you see your addiction to zoodles is becoming inevitable, upgrade to a more sophisticated spiralizer for an easier and faster preparation process. At the moment, I use this spiralizer; it is perfect in size and creates long, beautiful noodles. Keep in mind that if you are preparing more than two servings, using the spiralizer can be very tiring… And so you should move on to a more professional spiralizer, such as this one.

I created my own zoodles variation inspired by one of my favorite detox dishes {a zucchini spaghetti with cherry tomatoes and tofu}. Being that the original flavor was a little too simple for my taste buds, and that tofu isn’t exactly my cup of tea, I decided to enhance the flavors by cooking my zoodles in fresh pesto sauce, roasting the tomatoes in the oven, and adding a little almond crunch.

Bon appetit 🙂

◄◄ Guilt Free Zoodles in Fresh Pesto Sauce ►►

Preparation time – 15 minutes

Amount – one serving

Ingredients –

For the zoodles:

Julienne peeler / spiralizer

3 medium zucchinis

For the sauce:

A blender

A handful of fresh basil leaves

A handful of fresh mint leaves

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

For topping:

10-12 colorful cherry tomatoes

3 tablespoons sliced almonds

Boost with:

One half of a garlic head

Parmesan cheese

Instructions –

1. Preheat oven to maximum heat on top grill setting.

2. Place cherry tomatoes and halved garlic head {*boost} on parchment paper, and put in the oven for 5 minutes {or until the tomatoes are scorched}.

3. Meanwhile, use your peeler/spiralizer to create zucchini noodles and set aside in a bowl.

4. Using a hand blender or food processor, mix the pesto ingredients together to create a paste.

5. In a large pan, toast the almonds on a high flame until golden-brown, and set aside in a small dish.

6. In the same pan {no need to wash} cook the zoodles until al dente.

7. Add the pesto sauce to to the pan and cook for another minute longer.

8. To serve, place the zoodles in a nice bowl, above add the roasted tomatoes and garlic cloves {*boost}, and finally, sprinkle the toasted almonds and parmesan cheese {*boost}.